


puppy love

by iridescentwinters



Category: SKAM (Spain)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-10-02 22:48:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,649
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17272604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iridescentwinters/pseuds/iridescentwinters
Summary: young nora and alejandro’s last conversation before nora moves to Wisconsin.





	1. i won't forget you

**Author's Note:**

> childhood best friends au! it was kinda requested for winterberg but i could see this better fit with alenora.

12 year old alejandro was sitting on the pavement, his head buried in between his legs in misery. he hadn’t taken the news of his best friend moving to another country very well.

“ale?” a soft voice piped up from behind him, but he didn’t acknowledge it. he was too mad to. he thought she’d get the hint that he didn’t want to be around anyone, but she sat next to him anyway.

“go away.” ale muttered.

“no.” 10 year old nora sounded firm.

alejandro sighed. lifting his head up, he turned to face her. “why do you have to go?” he whimpered, his doe eyes getting glassy again. “you’re my only friend. you’re the only one that loves me.” he turned away, looking forward aimlessly. “even my family can’t do that.”

nora pouted. she put her hand on his shoulder. “don’t say that!” she exclaimed. “they love you a lot.” because she was so young, she didn’t have the right words to say to comfort the boy. but she tried. “they…. just don’t know to how to….”

“stop it.” alejandro intervened. “i’m unlovable.” tears threatened to spill from his eyes. he was only 10, yet he was already forming feelings of angst. one would say it was the beginning of adolescence, but people that truly knew alejandro knew that it had nothing to do with his age.

“don’t be s- _stupid_ , alejandro.” nora surprised herself by saying the ‘s’ word. alejandro looked back at her, his eyes wide as well. but nora didn’t stop there. “i love you. a lot. and other people love you too. cristian, martín…. your sister. how would she feel if she knew that you were saying things like that?”

alejandro’s eyes suddenly went downcast with the mentioning of his sister. nora was right. if he could depend on anyone to care for him as much as his best friend did, it was his sister. he loved her more than anything, and vice versa.

thank God she wasn’t going anywhere. alejandro could handle nora being away with his sister being by his side.

the boy sighed once more, before nodding. “you’re right.” he mumbled. he hated it whenever nora was right, because she was younger than him. he was supposed to be the ‘mature’ one.

nora grinned. “i know.” she bragged jokingly.

a car pulled up to the pavement, and another wave of sadness hit both of them. it was nora’s father. the graces were leaving now.

too soon, alejandro screamed in his mind, too soon.

nora got up from the pavement, and brushed her jeans. “wait here,” she instructed, “i’ll be right back.” without waiting for a response, she ran back into her house, while her mother exited it, carrying two bags and two suitcases. alejandro, despite having feelings of hatred for nora’s parents for making her move, felt bad for the woman and offered his help. “oh, thank you darling.” mrs grace said.

nora returned outside a few minutes after, with a scrapbook in her hand. alejandro’s eyebrows furrowed. “what’s that?” he asked, pointing at the book.

nora handed it to him. “for you.” she said shyly. “so that you don’t forget me.”

“how could i forget you?” alejandro asked incredulously. before nora could respond, he started stammering again. “b–but i didn’t do anything for y–you…” he spent the entire week sulking.

nora shrugged. “doesn’t matter.” she held alejandro’s wrist. “keep it safe, okay? look at it anytime you miss me.” she then flipped the book open to the first page. there were several digits written. “this will be our new landline number.”

alejandro’s bottom lip trembled, a new set of tears ready to spill. “don’t go.” he whispered. “ _please_.”

nora’s eyes softened, and she felt the huge lump in her throat that she’d be suppressing come up again. “i’m sorry.”

 _beep!_ nora’s father honked from the car. “nora! let’s go!”

nora looked at him for a moment, before looking back at alejandro. “i have to go.” she whispered. “i love you, ale. be kind to everyone, okay? let cristian know i said bye, and he can have my spot on the bench. also, take care of your sister.” she instructed. alejandro nodded nimbly.

_beep! beep!_

nora inhaled sharply, her tiny head spinning. _should i do it?_ she wondered. _gran said only if i love someone…._

getting on her tippy toes, she pressed her lips against the boy’s for 2 seconds, before running into the car in embarrassment.

alejandro’s cheeks turned crimson red, as did his ears. his face was burning. _oh my god…_ he thought, before squealing. _my first kiss! with nora!_

his frown definitely turned upside down a little, as he watched the car drive past. “bye, nora.” he said, even though she was long gone. “i love you too.”


	2. back to Madrid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> au! nora’s final thoughts in Wisconsin before her journey back to her hometown.

16 year old nora finally put down the framed photo of her and alejandro from years ago, after recalling their final conversation before she left for the states.

“nora!” her mother called for her. “did you finish packing your toiletries? we leave in 20!”

“yes mama!” the girl yelled back a response. “i’ll be down soon!” picking up the photo, she slid it into a cardboard box to ensure it doesn’t break, and kneeled down next to her suitcase and slipped it into the chain compartment. zipping up the suitcase, she stood up and took a deep breath.

she was returning to Madrid after 6 years. her hometown. she bit her lip in contemplation, still having no idea what to make of the situation. her stomach churned. _did anyone even remember me?_ she wondered. _would anyone recognise me? what do i say if they do recognise me?_

_would alejandro recognise me?_

“nora?”

her train of thought was broken again once more. “coming, mama!” she exclaimed, before extending the suitcase handle up and rolled it out of her room, before one last glance around it. _well, thank you for the memories, i guess,_ she thought.

her mother was standing in front of the door, reapplying her dark red lipstick. despite the fact that they were about to travel for a minimum 8 hours, mrs grace always had to look presentable. the older woman looked at her daughter. “never got to ask you!” she exclaimed while putting the lipstick tube back into her handbag. “did you let alejandro know we’re coming back? didn’t get the chance to call mariana.”

nora groaned. “mom,” she started, “i told you. ale and i don’t talk anymore.” _we’ve lost contact 4 years ago,_ she said in her mind, pressing her lips into a fine line. she hated the fact that it still bothered her that alejandro completely stopped calling and returning calls.

mrs grace sighed. “still, you should’ve.” she gently scolded. “he and his family probably would’ve liked to know.” she peeped through the frosted glass of their door, seeing if nora’s father had shown up yet. “then again, can’t really blame you. i haven’t kept in contact with his parents either. maybe you guys would become _friends_ again when you’re reunited.” she said the word ‘friends’ in a playful suggestive manner.

nora scoffed, rolling her eyes. “i doubt it.” she mumbled. she felt that alejandro and her would have to completely reset time to become as close as they were when they were younger. and even if nora wished she had the chance to, she couldn’t. and alejandro definitely left her and their friendship in his past.

before mrs grace could say anything else, a car honked from outside. it was mr grace letting the women know that he’s arrived.

mrs grace adjusted her handbag strap and held on her suitcase handle. she then opened the door. “well, you ready kiddo?”

nora shrugged. “don’t really have a choice here, but sure.”

_Madrid, here i come again._


	3. with a heavy heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> au! it was the monday after, a.k.a nora’s first day. and while making new friends, she learns about her old ones. more specifically her old best friend.

nora inhaled the cool spanish breeze.

_oh yeah,_ she thought giddily, _i most definitely am back home._

luckily, nora’s father hadn’t sold the house after they left, so they managed to move back without finding a new place.

nora smiled, as she looked outside her bedroom window and caught sight of her swing set. she had pretty good memories there, with alejandro especially.

_alejandro…._ the name made her smile fade slowly. her eyes then trail over to the house next to hers. maybe it was because she hadn’t seen the place in so long, but it seemed so… _lifeless_. the colour most definitely let her know that the de miguels were in due for a repaint job.

but the lights were out. and it was only early evening. _did they move out?_ she wondered. _no way,_ she thought with a shake her head. it was alejandro’s great grandmother’s place and his sister isabella loved it. she turned away from the window, after deciding on not giving it more thought. _she was only a year older than me but was still a kid. she obviously lost the whole home sentiment._

“nora.” her father called her name after knocking on her slightly ajar door. “your mother’s calling for dinner.”

nora looked back at the man. “she managed to cook?” she asked, surprised. mr grace shrugged. “if your definition of cooking is pouring water into three cups of mac n’ cheese, then yes. she did.”

the girl smiled. “can’t say no to instant mac n’ cheese.”

 

* * *

 

of course the weekend passed by quick, and nora found herself looking into the mirror, straightening out her already straightened clothes. she applied her signature red lipstick (something she picked up from her mother), but was wondering if it was a bit much. sighing, she scolded herself. _stop overthinking everything!_

grabbing her bag which was on the floor, she looked through her window again. her father had gone for a quick stop at the minimart that was around the corner and passed by the house to see if anyone was home, but he found that it was empty. so the de miguels did move out. nora wondered if they left the country.

standing up straighter, she held her head up high like how her mother taught her to whenever she was anxious or afraid, before turning on her heel and walking out of her room. it didn’t matter if he was still here or not. they weren’t friends anymore, and she’d make new friends. she gulped at the thought of new friends. _hopefully_ she did.

her parents were already sitting at the dining table. the kitchen was starting to look normal again because of the grocery shopping they did over the weekend. mrs grace set a bowl of cereal at the vacant spot of the table, along with a glass of water. there was a brown bag sitting on the kitchen counter. “ready for your first day?” she asked. nora nodded, despite feeling quite the opposite of ready. she was feeling the normal first day jitters, and she wasn’t really in the mood to listen to her parents saying that everything was going to be fine.

half an hour later, the three of them were in a car, on the way to the first destination which was nora’s new high school. once they reached the school, mr and mrs grace looked back at their daughter.

“have a good first day, baby.” mrs grace said. “remember, don’t trust everyone immediately.” mr grace warned. that made nora’s heart drop.

“i’m not naïve like that anymore, dad.” she muttered, fiddling with her chain. mrs grace gave her husband a pointed look, but that didn’t change his stern expression much. “i know you aren’t. it’s a reminder.”

_i think i have enough memories that serve as reminders, thank you very much,_ she thought sarcastically. not wanting to start an argument, she nodded. “okay. see you later.”

“do you need a ride after school?” mrs grace asked. “your dad could–”

“nope. i’ll walk. bye!” nora said hurriedly, getting out of the car. their house wasn’t that far from their place anyway.

walking up to the school, her eyes scanned her surroundings. she couldn’t really identify anyone yet. _a good sign, i guess?_ she thought, before entering the building. it was definitely much larger than her middle school.

_here we go._

looking around, she tried to find the office to get her schedule and locker number and key, but found it to no avail. sighing, she knew she had to ask someone. _who should i ask?_

looking forward, she saw a hijabi leaning against the row of lockers, on her phone. nora walked to her. “ _hola_.” she greeted, starling the girl a little. “ _hola_.” she replied, putting her phone away. “need something?” she asked a little curtly, but nora understood why. everyone that was passing by them were giving them–her weird looks, and if they were with a friend, they’d immediately break into whispers. _people really have nothing better to do other than gossip, huh. and have they never heard of muslim women who wore hijabs before?_

“i’m new here.” nora admitted. “and i’m kinda having trouble finding the office. could you help me out?”

the other girl’s eyebrows raise. she then kicks herself off of the lockers. “new, eh?” when nora nodded, she shot another question. “where you from?”

“the states.” nora replied. “wisconsin, specifically. i used to live here, though.”

the girl nodded in understanding. “cool. i’m amira.” she said, extending her hand out. nora took it, and shook. “nora. nice to meet you.”

amira tried to hide a smile creeping onto her face. “well, what are we waiting for? let’s get you to the office.”

the girls talked more as they walked to the office and they found out that they were in the same grade. then after picking up her schedule, they also noticed they shared quite a few classes together too.

as amira continued to talk while they walked to their first period, nora smiled. _my first friend,_ she realised. _that wasn’t bad._

lunch rolled in and nora was currently sitting in the school cafeteria with amira and three other girls; viri, cris and eva. she’d met the other girls in her classes through amira and they immediately welcomed her into their friend group. speaking of classes, turned out that at the mention of her name, some people did recognise her and vice versa. and it wasn’t as scary talking to them again.

it really was just the first day jitters.

while they talked, cristian appeared at their table and greeted them–well, _eva_ , and invited them to a party this friday. nora knew for a fact it was the awkward scrawny kid cris she knew. he still had that scar on his eyebrow.

cris didn’t seem to recognise her, though. he smiled at her. “ _hola_ ,” he greeted her, “i don’t think i’ve ever seen you around. i definitely would’ve remembered a face like yours.” he sounded flirty.

nora smiled at him fondly. definitely not because of his greeting, but how much he changed over the years. he definitely boosted in the confidence area. “nora.” she said, as he kissed her cheeks.

cris’ eyebrows furrowed in thought for a few seconds, before returning back to his normal facial expression. “well, nice to meet you. and i expect to see all of you on friday.” and after puckering his lips in eva’s direction, he walked off.

nora looked at eva with her eyebrow raised. “he seems to fancy you.” she teased. eva rolled her eyes. “he’s a fuckboy,” she deadpanned, “he likes everyone.”

nora laughed. she then brought her water bottle to her lips, drinking out of it.

viri squealed. “we definitely have to go!” she exclaimed. “alejandro’s definitely going to be there.”

nora suddenly choked on her water at the mention of an alejandro. the girls looked back at her in concern. cris patted her back. “you okay, girl?” the blonde asked, and nora nodded. “yeah, drank too quickly.” she rushed out a response awkwardly. “um, who’s alejandro?”

viri’s jaw dropped. “you still don’t know who alejandro is?” she asked, before looking at amira accusingly (who lifted her hands up in surrender). cris grabbed eva’s phone from her hands, and went onto instagram.

“ _this_ , is alejandro.” she said, tapping on one of the photos.

and nora knew that it was her best friend alejandro. she’d recognise that narrow pale face and those hazel eyes anywhere. she let cris show her all of his photos, and despite always finding him handsome, he definitely left the baby look in the past.

nora also noticed that he barely smiled in any of the photos. maybe he left that behind too, she thought. cris closed the app, and handed her phone back to eva. “and viri’s _soo_ in love with him.”

viri?

nora looked up at the beaming girl. “you like him?” she asked. the other girl grinned sheepishly. “he’s cute! the cutest. and sooo nice.”

amira snorted. “just because he said sorry after bumping into you doesn’t make him the nicest person.” she sassed. and before viri could have a say, she continued. “also, he’s a fuckboy too. he’s humping and dumping. pretty sure i saw him making out with alicia yesterday.”

cris let out a series of ‘ooo’s. “also saw denise crying in the bathroom yesterday.” she lowered her voice. “alejandro dumped her over text. apparently it was pretty rough.”

nora’s face fell. _alejandro?_ she thought to herself uneasily. _no, that couldn’t be my alejandro. the ale i knew couldn’t even hurt a fly._

“he just needs someone to change him.” viri stated confidently. eva smiled sarcastically. “and it’ll be you, won’t it, mrs beltrán de miguel?” she joked, elbowing the girl.

all the colour drained out of nora’s face.

it was alejandro.

 

* * *

 

“you okay, honey?”

nora stopped picking on the food on her plate and looked up at her mother. “yup.” she said, nodding for better effect. in reality, she really wasn’t. her head couldn’t wrap around the thought of alejandro becoming…. someone like that. _what happened? what changed?_ she was in dire need for answers, but she had a feeling she’d never get them.

mr grace wasn’t at the table with them. he was still at the office. nora wasn’t expecting otherwise. usually, he’d come home at around 9 earliest. most days it was just nora and mrs grace having dinner together.

the older woman pursed her lips together as if she wanted to say something, but she eventually didn’t and dropped the matter. the two sat in silence, continuing with their dinner. all the small talk was done earlier that evening.

not feeling hungry anymore, nora stood up from the table and cleared out her plate before placing it into the dishwasher. she looked at her mother. “i’ll just be in my room doing homework.” she said half-heartedly. mrs grace nodded.

before she managed to make it to the stairs, the doorbell rang. nora’s eyebrows furrowed. _who could that be?_ her dad wouldn’t be ringing the bell, he had a key. and she hadn’t disclosed her address to anyone at school.

_maybe it’s a neighbour._

“i’ll get it!” she yelled, and walked to the door. peering through the peephole, her face fell. shock overtook her features. _wait, that’s…._

_ding dong!_

“nora?” her mother said her name. “i thought you had it!”

“i-i do.” she responded a little incoherently. she finally opened the door.

she was standing face-to-face with alejandro beltrán de miguel.  


	4. p.s i still love you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> au! alejandro shows up at nora’s door, and they reconcile with an argument.

alejandro was blinking back in disbelief. _cris was right,_ he thought, _it was her._

his eyes trailed down her figure before looking right back up at her face, equally shocked as him.

his jaw clenched. “nora.” he stated her name curtly. before the girl could respond, her mother showed up at the door as well. “who is it, nor–” mrs grace stopped mid-sentence. gasping in surprise, mrs grace surged forward, touching alejandro’s face. “ _alejandro?_ is that you?”

alejandro’s anger faded a little from mrs grace’s touch, and he nodded. “hello, mrs grace.” he greeted. “it’s so good to see you.”

“oh, come here boy!” mrs grace squealed, pulling him into a hug, which he returned immediately. he’d forgotten how much he loved the woman’s hugs. her embrace was a lot warmer than his own mother’s.

mrs grace looked back at her daughter. “so you _did_ find him!” she exclaimed, overjoyed. alejandro’s eyes carefully watched nora, as she took a gulp before answering. “more like he found us.” she mumbled.

mrs grace looked back at alejandro. “why don’t you come in and we’ll catch up?” she suggested. “i wanted to call your mother but we found that you’ve moved out and i wasn’t sure if you still used the same land phone.”

alejandro’s smile tightened. “i...” he hesitated. “how about over the weekend? i don’t really have much time now.” he looked at nora again. “i came over to talk to nora alone, actually.”

mrs grace’s cheshire cat smile appeared on her face. “of course.” she stepped back into the house and gently pushed nora out. “go talk out on the swings.” she looked at alejandro. “have you had your dinner yet?”

“yes ma’am.” he said. mrs grace nodded. “okay. see you saturday for lunch, okay?” alejandro nodded in confirmation. and with that, she shut the door, leaving the two teenagers standing there awkwardly. well, nora was standing there awkwardly. alejandro seemed mad.

“come on, then.” nora muttered, walking over to the swing set. taking a seat, she was about to shoot the first question but alejandro intervened.

“why didn’t you tell me?” his voice was raised. “did i really have to find out through cristian and some other girl from your batch?”

nora let out a breath. “what do you mean ‘why didn’t you tell me’?” she asked, incredulous. “if you can’t remember, we haven’t talked in _four_ years. what was i supposed to do, call?” she asked sarcastically.

“that’s exactly what should’ve happened.” alejandro agreed, livid. “and you know, there’s this thing called the _internet._ you could’ve easily found me or something. we would’ve never went out of contact if you bothered trying!”

nora stood up from the swing. “oh, so it’s my fault that we haven’t talked in years.” her tone was heavy in sarcasm. “yeah, because _i_ obviously wasn’t the one that called every other day for 2 years. _i’m_ the one that stopped picking up out of nowhere, right?”

alejandro’s vocal chords tightened. “why did you give up on me, then?” he yelled. “you promised you wouldn’t.”

“what was i supposed to do, keep trying for the rest of my life?” nora yelled back, infuriated. the nerve of him! “i can’t believe you. that was all your fault and you know it, alejandro. god, you’re such a fucking prick now.” she wasn’t sure if her anger or sadness was the stronger emotion she was feeling.

_this was all your fault and you know it._

alejandro stepped back, his mind faltering a little. pain filled his eyes.

nora’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. what the hell? “ale–”

“isabella’s dead, nora. and it’s my fault.”

suddenly, all of her anger dissipated. she staggered backwards, shocked out of her mind. “w– _what?_ ” she let out softly, her mind refusing to register what he just said. “ale?”

“isabella’s gone. she died 4 years back.” alejandro tried to keep his emotions in check, but obviously, to no avail. it may have happened 4 years ago, but it felt as though the accident occured yesterday. the memories were clear as sky in his mind.

without even thinking, nora rushed over to the boy and hugged him as tight as her chest was feeling. “oh my god, ale.” she muttered, a wave of tears filling her eyes. she choked up as she said her next few words. “h–how? why? i–i’m so sorry.”

alejandro melted in her grasp, the senses of home, trust and familiarity hitting him all at once. he wrapped his arms around her. “c–car accident.” he muttered, swallowing hard. “i–i can’t explain it right now.”

nora detached herself from alejandro. “okay.” she said softly. “and how’s your family doing?”

alejandro’s gaze turned steel cold. “mom and dad got a divorce a year later. she cheated on him. brother’s still a fucking bastard, but he’s in Seville for uni.” he stuffed his hands into his pockets. “still living with my dad but in another house a little further away.” his eyes were downcast. “he’s mostly away on trips.”

nora’s shoulders sagged. as if alejandro hadn’t been struggling with getting along with his family already. now this… she couldn’t imagine what he’d gone through over the years.

nora touched his face. he looked up, meeting her gaze. he let out a sigh. “i’m sorry.” he muttered. “i shouldn’t have yelled at you. you’re right, all of this is my fault.” he then wrapped his arms around her waist. “but i swear to God nora, i never forgot you. i thou–think about you everyday. i still love you.”

nora’s eyes flickered down, unable to form a response to that, especially listening to how sincere he sounded. looking back up, she asked with a small smile, “you still have the scrapbook?”

alejandro nodded. “of course. i look through it every other day.” he looked down at nora’s lips, before facing her gaze again. “i see that you’re still gorgeous.” he said teasingly but he meant it.

nora rolled her eyes, but nonetheless blushed. “whatever.” she muttered, suddenly feeling shy.

without thinking, alejandro brushed his lips against hers, but the girl didn’t let him get very far. getting out of his grip, she poked his chest. “absolutely not.” she said, sounding bossy. “you, sir, have a lot of explaining to do.”

alejandro groaned. _oh yeah, she’s most definitely heard about my reputation already._

“can’t i explain after i kiss you?” he complained. nora’s eyes bulged out of her sockets at how straightforward the request was, but shook her head. “no. none of this kissing business now.” she went silent for a moment, before adding, “also, mom’s watching us from the kitchen window.”

_she, what?_

alejandro’s head whipped to his left, and found mrs grace peering through the blinds, but she immediately let go of the blinds she was peeping through. he let out a chuckle. “of course she was.”

he looked back at nora. “i’ll come by and pick you up for school tomorrow.” he said, while walking towards the pavement, where his motorbike was parked. nora trailed behind him. “oh, so i take orders from you now?”

alejandro raised his eyebrows, and she rolled her eyes. “yeah, okay.” she dismissed. “come by at 7:30.”

“7:30?! school starts at 8:30!” alejandro protested.

“i like being early!” nora replied defensively.

“8.”

“no!”

“7:50.”

nora thought about it for a moment, before responding. “7:45. final deal or you can say goodbye to coming here tomorrow.”

alejandro scoffed. “still so stubborn.” he said, but he broke out into a full blown grin. nora shrugged. “i like to call it being disciplined.”

alejandro leaned down and kissed her cheek. “okay, princess de miguel.” he said softly. nora’s eyes widened and she started blushing hard. it was the name alejandro used for nora when they were about 6 and 8, playing dress-up. “tomorrow then, _hermosa_.”

nora smiled softly. “tomorrow.” she confirmed. alejandro put on his helmet, and then sped off. nora watched him go until his bike was out of sight.

the girl stood there for a moment, just thinking about everything that’s happened and what alejandro told her.

sadness took over her facial features again. isabella was _dead_.

she wasn’t sure what happened, but she knew that she wasn’t going to be ready to hear it.

but alejandro looked so _broken_. nora took a deep breath. _no, i’ll be ready,_ she thought firmly. _i’ll be strong just enough for the both of us._

she was ready to be his best friend again.

**Author's Note:**

> IM SO SOFT FOR THEM, BABIES


End file.
